A Molly-guard is a device that prevents accidental shutdown of a computer system. This device can be — as the first Molly-guard — physical or built into software.
Strictly speaking, this is a Cali-guard, preventing reset by a Calico cat.
Tag: computers
In just one week….
Our national nightmare of Election 2016 will be over one way or the other.
Not sharing how I voted, only want to encourage all of you to (in the immortal words of Nike), “Just Do It.” Once and only once. Assuming you are alive. No selfies.
In closing: Apple; no, you’re not even allowed to explore another culture’s traditions or fashions or Halloween (again, only if you’re a woman, nobody’s ragging on guys with tartans or topknots); and oh Weiner.
Hey, need some help there?
“I’m going to need you to put cover sheets on those TPS reports.”
Just Cali, making sure I’m not goofing off at the computer.
Grumble: Does Not Compute
I had hoped to have something substantive to post today. Reality had other plans for me.
No, I don’t honestly expect to have anything coherent to say about tomorrow’s Presidential debates. Other than it’s shaping up to be an interesting moment in television.
That’s not comforting, Windows 10!
Reminds me of this. Everything is fine, nothing is ruined. That is good to hear!
And yes, that is the official Zuckerberg security hardware modification.
An interesting question
A couple of weeks ago, I happened to be working in a facility where, as a matter of patient safety, there were no liners or trash bags in the garbage cans. I think everybody knows that garbage bags can be used to suffocate someone. Granted, the ones I use at home are probably not strong enough to hang a person.
So, knowing that trash bags can be used as weapons either against one’s self or others, why was there a trash bag in a jail cell? MSNBC would like to know, too.
Yes, there’s a lot of questions about what happened to Sandra Bland. And no, I don’t think it’s appropriate for an officer to threaten to “light you up” under most circumstances. But seriously, trash bags?
In Closing: Renegade DQ; intellectual honesty; and why exactly is the car’s computer accessible remotely at all??; raid; common sense; protein; bananas; Mammoth Cave.
Hard Habit to Break
Today I’m actually using the official prompt:
Have you ever tried to break a habit and failed? What made it so difficult to break?
Ok, this is a weird one. I’m still not quite over this habit: I have a hard time passing up things that are cheap or free.
I’ve got dozens of books on my Kindle that I don’t know when I’ll have time to read them, but they were free! I’ve got canned food in my pantry that I only have because it was on sale — and theoretically I’ll use it eventually. I’ve been known to buy clothes that fit but aren’t really my style because they were so inexpensive.
Why is this a hard habit to break? Well, because it’s easy to think I’m being thrifty. In the case of free ebooks, it doesn’t actually cost me anything. In the case of food, well, I guess I’m well prepared for an emergency. In short, one person’s bad habit is another’s good habit.
Oh hey, and just the other day I got this free ebook on how to break bad habits!
In Closing: the case of the blonde MIT student; Ha Ha Harvard; not entirely sure how one solves problems without strong reading and math skills; crime, security, and privacy; and the intellectual heirs of MacHack.
Skills to Pay the Bills
It’s important to keep those computer skills up to date! So be sure to check out these super-keen books on cutting edge computer stuff. Just in case you think I’m dragging up old pictures, please note “QuickBooks 2011 for Dummies” right below the far less timely book on Excel 2007. For the record, I took this one a few months ago and forgot about it until I was cleaning out some old pictures.
Shorties of Chuckie
Ok, let’s start with the NSA data dump: boy howdy and I do mean dump. Big mean dookie here and the administration keeps adding to the pile. Advice to the White House: sunlight is a good disinfectant.
On Republicans: And a possible shutdown of the government (because that worked out so well for the Republicans during the Clinton Administration). But remember, they know better than 97% of scientists about climate change (and for those who are religious? Rush is wrong and if Jesus does come back he’s gonna be honked about what we’ve done with the planet). Oh, and alert the media, I agree with Roger Simon.
On Computer Literacy: Most people aren’t. Even those kids we think are so much better on the computer than their elders. At least many of the elders are aware of the things they don’t know.
An Accidental Invention: The teabag.
On the Labor Force: There is no labor shortage, duh. Alien workers — including the undocumented ones — are sought after because they are easily exploited. Interns are free labor (which means it can be a challenge for young workers to accept the so-called opportunity unless Mummy and Daddy pony up cash). Modern Capitalism looks a whole lot like Feudalism.
Real Life MacGyver: Snakes on a Catapult and 9 other great tricks.
The Truth about Eyeglasses: pupillary distance, and adjusting your frames.
Petroglyphs: Over 10,000 years old.
On a Happier Note: Steinway sold for $512,000,000. Interestingly enough, the C above Middle C should be tuned to 512 hertz.
No Credit isn’t Bad Credit: the unscoreables.
Accurate Title: Yes, Vaccinations Save Lives.
I Question Their Criteria: Edmunds.com’s list of “best” cars for short drivers doesn’t even mention adjustable belt points and properly proportioned seats.
Hmmm: Childhood obesity linked to school lunches and TV watching.
Scientists having a pissing contest: On de-extinction.
And finally: Goodnight iPad.
Oh Boo Hoo
Fortune Magazine tells us that “For banks, it’s getting harder and harder to earn a buck.” That’s because interest rates are so low. Or at least that’s what “conventional wisdom” would tell us. Please cry for the banks and demand higher interest rates!
Not so fast. If banks are having such a hard time making an “honest” buck, then how come “U.S. bank earnings rose 21% in the April-June quarter and lending to consumers increased, adding to evidence that the industry is strengthening four years after the financial crisis.” Turns out there’s actually a good reason the banks are doing so well:
That’s because most of them have increased the historic spread between the interest they charge for mortgages and the interest they have to pay for their own borrowing and, of course, the now minuscule rates they pay to folks with savings accounts. As a result, according to a recent news story in the New York Times, bankers are enjoying ballooning profits from their mortgage business.
If the banks were using the formula that was in effect up until a couple of years ago, the 3.55 percent rate for a 30-year mortgage would be close to 3.05 percent. Or, they could increase the rates they pay savers by about a half percent.
So yeah, the gap between “what they pay you” and “what we pay them” got bigger despite mortgage rates near record lows.
I hope Fortune Magazine isn’t hoping for a subscription fee from me anytime soon.
In Closing: you might want to disable Java; trying to change the law without bothering to involve lawmakers; 14.8% of Americans are on food stamps; and Boehner admits that the easiest way to win is for poor people to stay home on election day.